2. Contact Info

3. Dealer Selection

It’s draft day and you’re on the clock. On the board are highly prized recruits from two noted powerhouses. Though your lottery pick is way up there, your salary cap is restricted to roughly $23 grand. You can take only one, so choose wisely.

Both prospects are front-engine, front-drive, four-door sport sedans from programs with storied traditions in this category. Though Honda has been building the Civic Si since 1986-five years before Nissan made its first SE-R-it’s never done a sedan. Nissan has been making SE-R sedans since 2002, but the tale of the tape reveals no significant advantage for either rookie. In fact, from mundane to exotic, whatever parameter you measure, the cars are nearly identical. Each vehicle’s wheelbase, width, and front and rear track are all within an inch of the other’s. Both vehicles come equipped with six-speed manual gearboxes (standard) and helical-type limited-slip differentials (a $400 option on the SE-R Spec V). The largest physical disparity is under the hood, but even that’s a bit of a wash (197 to 200 horses). Sure, the Si is down a half liter and 41 pound-feet to the 2.5-liter Spec V engine, but the Honda also weighs about 150 pounds less than the Nissan.

Our tarmac combine reveals similar performances as well. Toe to toe and blow for blow, both click the stopwatches within tenths of each other. The extra torque provided by the SE-R’s displacement advantage means it sprints to 40 mph one tenth of a second quicker than the Si, but they’re tied at 50 mph. By 60 mph, the Si has pulled ahead by a tenth and holds this lead through the quarter mile. And though the Civic manages to stop three feet shorter from 60 mph and pull 0.01 g higher on the skidpad, it’s still too close to call.

How is it then, that when the selection clock runs down, one of these bluechippers will distinguish itself as a future Hall-of-Famer, while the other will seem destined to ride the pine? Well, some of it has to do with what coaches and draft pundits call “intangibles,” but the key differences are apparent from the very first throttle blip.

Southern California’s Montezuma Valley Road is the perfect place for a private workout session for these twins. Bombing up and down this 12-mile, 40-plus-turn, desert highway is an exercise fraught with anxiety, especially when your rearview mirrors are filled with the Si’s sloping snout. Though only 2.6 inches taller than the Si, the way the Spec V leans over in corners makes it feel much larger in the tight canyon confines. But it’s not slow; switch places and the Spec V can hang with the Si-if only just. The problem is, doing so generates a whiter-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and beads of sweat in the corners.

Such anxiety isn’t an issue when piloting the Si. Whether leading or following, there’s one focus-particularly on the uphill-and that’s keeping the engine on full boil. Peak power from the Honda’s 2.0-liter, inline-four is available at 7800 rpm-200 shy of redline-so it’s a good thing the Si encourages abuse of its e-throttle. At around 6500 rpm, the i-VTEC variable-valve timing system engages with a ferocious howl and noticeable surge until the 8000-rpm cutoff. Staying on or ahead of the SE-R’s bumper means shifting constantly in this narrow powerband. No problem: The Si’s crisp gearbox is one you want to keep rowing.

Not so in the Spec V, whose dash-mounted six-speed feels long, loose, and latex-sheathed. Sure, this manual beats the regular SE-R’s CVT by a country mile, but it’s no comparison with the Si’s. That’s a shame, too; although lower revving and less frenetic, the Spec V’s all-new 2.5-liter, 16-valve QR25DE HO (high output) is a fine engine in its own right, equipped with iridium-tipped spark plugs, a revised intake, dual branch exhaust manifold, reinforced connecting rods, and aggressively profiled camshafts and piston crowns. These tweaks help the Spec V’s heart beat hard and fast, at 10.5:1 compression with a 6800-rpm redline.

Like the Si, the SE-R’s throttle is electrically controlled, as are both power-steering systems. Depending on whom you ask, the Si’s is either splendid or Splenda: a touch artificially boosted for some, particularly at high speeds. But in the canyons, all agreed the extra quickness was, well, sweet. At 2.9 turns lock-to-lock, the Spec V’s electric steering is a touch slower, but provides ample feedback and a more natural feel. Too bad the excess body roll and less sophisticated rear torsion beam suspension design have the car bobbing and weaving in response to quick inputs.

At the humdrum speeds of the daily grind, both players perform admirably, though the Si’s Jekyll/Hyde transformation is more dramatic. Shift early and often and the Si becomes your mom’s Civic, a torqueless, gas-sipping wonder. This is occasionally problematic; dropping two gears for an emergency merge is never fun. In contrast, the torquier SE-R is always ready for the urban cut and thrust.

And then there are those intangibles. Unique SE-R styling-consisting of distinct badging, side sills, rear spoiler, and front and rear bumpers-differentiates it nicely from the techno frumpy Sentra, but can’t mask the strong odor of cheese that emanates from the interior. Along with the heavily revised engine, the Spec V cabin is distinguished from regular SE-Rs by a leather-wrapped shift knob and red front seatbelts. Red seatbelts? Yep-click ’em across the lap for an instant crossing-guard costume. And it doesn’t end there. One of the two 350Z-esque cups aimed toward the driver holds a “g-meter.” Cool at first glance, but closer examination reveals unimpressive 0.7g to -0.7g delineations, corresponding to acceleration and braking force. The SE-R’s massive disc brakes make pegging this meter easy in the negative direction, but it’s darn near impossible to get it to stick the other way. Which makes us wonder what the SE-R planners were thinking in the first place. The SE-R has always been more canyon carver than drag racer. In fact, first-gen coupes are still popular with the amateur road-racing set. Wouldn’t a gauge showing cornering gs or lap times (as in the Z) have been more authentic?

In stark contrast is Honda’s spare take on athleticism. Subtract the rear decklid wing, subtle badging, and i-VTEC door sticker, and there’s little else to set the Si exterior apart from a regular Civic sedan. Sure, this low-key approach isn’t for everyone-fans in this segment often want the world to know what they’re driving-but Honda has never been much for gimmickry.

Just look at the seats: The SE-R and Si define sporty with black, cloth-covered buckets detailed with red-embroidered logos and stitching. But the Si’s are the real deal. Their thicker bolsters and more deeply contoured lumbar region hold tighter and faster. The rest of the Si interior benefits from this focus on performance. Sophisticated styling and quality materials abound, but the value and convenience argument is no more clearly decided than by simply comparing the steering wheels. While the Si artfully places delicately damped cruise, audio, and the optional voice-activated nav controls at your fingertips, the SE-R Spec V provides only a couple of hard buttons and a toggle switch for cruise control. This oversight may seem trivial at first, but it’s galling considering vehicles several thousand dollars cheaper, including the Honda Fit, Scion xB, and xD, and even the SE-R’s little brother, Versa, all offer steering-wheel audio controls in some capacity.

Time’s up. While both cars are freshly minted rookies primed for the 2007 season, the SE-R already feels like a veteran just past its prime. Sure, at $22,725, you can keep a tidy little signing bonus if you pick the fully loaded Spec V, but we’re willing to spend a bit more on a sure thing. For $23,835, the navigation-equipped Si sedan feels like the future of the franchise-one in which we look forward to driving.

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